The present invention relates to remote transmitters for use with garage door openers and particularly to housings therefor.
Electrically operated garage door openers are becoming an increasingly popular vehicle and home accessory. Their operation typically requires the use of a remote transmitter which is battery powered and which is carried in the homeowner's vehicle for transmitting electromagnetic radiation which, in turn, is received by a garage door opener receiver for controlling the garage door opening mechanism attached to the garage door. In the prior art, the garage door transmitters have consisted of an enclosure with a battery which must periodically be replaced. The unit is portable and vehicle owners typically either clip them to the vehicle's visor or in some cases they are removably mounted to the dashboard by a clip.
There exists several inconveniences with such prior art units, the first being that with the portable unit it is necessary to move the unit into an optimum position for operation of the garage door usually in the windshield area. Thus, if it is mounted on the dashboard, it must be removed from the dash and directed toward the garage door for operation. If mounted on the visor, it becomes a safety hazard in the form of a relatively hard projection at the head level of the vehicle. Further, it obstructs motion of the visor which, when moved, sometimes knocks the transmitter from the visor. Thus, such an arrangement interferes with the visor use as well as poses a safety hazard.